As attorneys for the city and the union representing the Department of Water and Power continue their dispute over subpoenas issued for the records of two trusts, the District Attorney’s Office confirmed Wednesday it is monitoring the case for possible future action.

DA spokeswoman Jane Robison would say only, “We are working with the City Controller’s Office to obtain DWP records regarding the nonprofits.”

Officials in the Controller’s Office said they were contacted in December and told of the interest but that no action would be taken immediately until the city had completed its efforts to audit the trusts.

City Controller Ron Galperin issued subpoenas to IBEW Local 18 officials for the records of the Joint Training Institute and Joint Safety Institute in order to determine how it has spent the $40 million it has received over the years.

The IBEW has gone to court to quash the subpoenas. No court date has been set for a hearing on the matter.

Bill Heine of the law firm Schwartz, Steinsapir, Dohrmann & Sommers, counsel for the institutes, said these are independent labor-management trusts dealing with improving job skills and work practices.

“When they were created over a decade ago, they received formal approval from the City Council, the city attorney and the mayor,” Heine said.

“Annual audits performed by an independent certified public accounting firm, including one recently completed, confirm that every dollar they spend goes toward advancing their lawful purposes. It’s disappointing that the city controller is focused on political grandstanding rather than the facts at hand.”

In a related matter, Mayor Eric Garcetti spokesman Jeff Millman said an announcement is expected Thursday on naming an interim general manager or nominating a permanent GM for the DWP.

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Current General Manager Ron Nichols is stepping down from the position on Friday. He said earlier this month he was resigning for personal reasons after serving three years on the job.